BELGIUM. Flanders. Chaise dOr, ND (1346-84). Louis II de Male. PCGS MS-65 Gold Shield.Fr-163; Delm-466. Obverse: King enthroned with skyward pointing sword in hand; Reverse: Floriated cross surrounded by quadrilobe. Boldly hammered and wonderfully centered onto a perfectly round flan, with all lettering at the outer legends remaining distinct and legible. The same can be said for the centers, as the kings visage is displayed in uncommon clarity, without so much as a trace of doubling visible to the unaided eye. In the addition to the abnormally exceptional execution of the strike, the surfaces also remain virtually as-made, with any discernible imperfection being difficult to view even under the aid of magnification. As such, quite possibly the finest extant survivor of the type; presently the single finest graded at PCGS with no MS-65s seen graded by NGC. A coin deserving of inclusion in a world-class cabinet.Louis II de Male was count of Flanders when that province was one of the richest regions of Europe. Nominally part of France, Louis refused to pay homage to either the king of France or the king of England, steering a neutral course during the Hundred Years War. It was then that this imitation of a French chaise dor was struck. This is the later of two types; the first shows an eagle on the counts shield rather than a lion. Later, he married his daughter to Philip, duke of Burgundy, uniting the two houses against the authority of the king of France.From the Linda Collection.
